Employee Recognition – Be Thankful This Thanksgiving

It is that time of the year again, when families and friends come together and celebrate the preamble to the Holiday season. Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks for all of the great, influential people in our lives. Our immediate outpouring of gratitude always seems to focus on families and friends, the turkey, stuffing and afternoon football.

However, if we don’t get caught in the raucousness of Thanksgiving, and really sit down and value what we have, our jobs, colleagues, and employees equally deserve thanks. And a simple expression of gratitude goes a long way in the workplace.

This year, the U.S. Department of Labor stated that 88% of employees stated that lack of acknowledgement is their top work issue. This is amazing…it isn’t pay or benefits that drive people but rather the appreciation of the work they do.

Your ‘job community’ helps foster your work, your business and your skills. Employees are often hired based on competency, enthusiasm, and integrity—these factors are critical, but they aren’t the end-all-be-all.

As Emergenetics shows, when organizations hire all kinds of brains, allowing for differing viewpoints, cognitive diversity, broad ideas and variety, the potential for a more productive, more innovative workplace is possible.

Think about a Whole Emergenetics company (a WEcompany) where people bring different approaches and perspectives to the table—then think how thankful you are (or would be) to work in a place like that.

After all, your success is measured based off of what your colleagues are performing as well. It’s about generating an essential familial bond in the workplace—one built on mutual respect and collaboration…and that is built on recognizing how others work and contribute.

Showing your employees or colleagues you appreciate their hard work reinforces a strong team dynamic and builds relationships.

Employee recognition can be as simple as just giving a heart-felt “thanks” but in an organization built on diverse minds, the way you give thanks can be just as meaningful.

• For those with a Social bent, a face-to-face meeting or taking them out for coffee is appreciated.
• Those with a Conceptual preference probably enjoy a small token that is out-of-the-ordinary and invokes a unique connection you have with them.
• Analytical minds probably appreciate specific thanks related to clear measurable results that they helped you achieve.
• Structural thinkers keep track of everything, so a clear emailed thank-you allows them to archive it and keep it in their files.

It is always critical to think about the behavioral preferences of the employees you’re recognizing:

• Expressiveness (are they gregarious and would be fine being thanked in a group or are they quiet and would prefer 1-on-1)
• Assertiveness (Driving people may enjoy boisterous thanks for a job they really pushed through while peacekeeping employees will likely be grateful for thanks regarding their ability to see all sides)
• Flexibility (those who enjoy definition would likely appreciate thanks that is done in an unsurprising way while those who welcome change might think an unusual thanks is great)

No matter what, invoke specific things that colleagues have done, as this links into the brain’s recognition center and is the easiest and most meaningful way to let your employees know you recognize their hard work.

It is often forgotten or dismissed to thank employees, but affirming how the work force is comprised of so many creative brains, each with different attributes, is key. By taking the extra time to thank your employees this holiday season, you could greatly improve your office morale and contribute to the positive and festive environment!